Luna Lovegood & The Sadness
by KathrynElaineDarling
Summary: Luna Lovegood is devastated by the death of Neville Longbottom but is consoled by a friend.


A/N: QLFC Quarter Finals

Each position has been given a prompt associated with one or more of their teammates

(All prompts must be listed in your A/N, otherwise your judge won't know what they are and you will, unfortunately, not be able to receive any points for that section)

BEATER 1: Use the Beater 2 prompt for their favorite round this season

Round Chosen: Round 10; Chosen to Kill Neville Longbottom

Optional Prompts: [word] Mundane; [word] Hallowed

**Luna Lovegood and The Sad Times**

_Luna had to shield her eyes from the blinding sun as it beamed down on the family that she loved so dearly. It was her son's second birthday and everyone that mattered to her was present. The dark blue streamers flew in the wind and the candles on the homemade cake sparkled as Hermione lit them with her wand. A light haze covered everything and she found it a little difficult to get her eyes to focus on just one thing. _

_Harry and Ron were swinging their kids around and laughter filled the forests that surrounded them all. She dared herself not close her eyes for fear that it would all disappear. _

_A pair of strong, stable arms wrapped around her waist and caused her to giggle with excitement. Just like the first day he told her that he loved her, Luna would giggle around Neville. Partly because of the excitement but it had even more to do with her unconditional love that had come about from all these years. She trusted him with everything she owned. _

"_Are you happy, my dear?" he whispered in her ear. _

_Chills ran up her spine and her smile widened at the sight and even wider when she turned towards him. His soft, chocolate eyes caressed every curvature in her face and made all of the mundane details of the party small and needless. She hugged him tightly and thanked Merlin that she could still do that after all these years. She couldn't believe that they had a son with his eyes and her platinum locks. He also had his father's curiosity for Herbology and his mother's interest in magical creatures. Their little house in the country was far enough away from everything that they were comfortably quiet and private. Just as she liked it. _

"_I am."_

_She wished she hadn't spoken at all. As if on cue, a terrible storm interrupted her perfect afternoon and ripped the streamers from the trees. The rain pelted through the icing on the cake and drenched everyone. The lightning struck nearby trees and the only thing she could hear were the screams of the people she loved as they vacated to her home. _

"_Close your eyes, love. It will all be over soon." _

_Neville hoisted her up by her stomach and the wind rushed through her already dampened hair. Everything had been so perfect and she had only shut her eyes for a second._

_-XOX-_

Luna woke to the sound of a whistling teapot screeching through the silence that had once kept her in a dream that wanted to live in. That's all it had been, of course. It was only a dream. She struggled to sit upright just as dizziness took over. It thrust her back on the bed and caused her head to spin in many different directions. The piano that she had charmed to play instrumental music seemed to play it even louder than she originally wanted.

She tried to sit up once more but it was met with several dry heaves and a headache the size of China. Standing was even harder than sitting up but it gave her a chance to look in the mirror. Her eyes were lined with redness and they were bloodshot. All the crying she had done in the previous days had worn them out to where they were almost closed. They were beckoning for her to go back to sleep and enjoy the dream she was having.

She grabbed her gray cardigan and covered her thin frame while stepping on her old issues of The Quibbler. She had to grip the door frame to keep from falling down the stairs and she was hoping that her father had come back from his trip so that she could relax with a familiar person. However, it wasn't him that had started the tea.

"Luna," Hermione whispered.

Luna was sure that Hermione thought she could break any second but she had proven herself to be strong. She had only cried when she returned home but she hadn't left in a month.

"Hermione," Luna croaked.

Her throat was raw from the constant crying and screaming that had become a hallowed ritual among her home. She watched as Hermione poured piping hot water over a teabag and took the two cups over to the table. Luna felt her throat hitch and a few tears slid down her cheeks. She thought she had no tears left.

"Don't cry," Hermione soothed, coming over to embrace her friend.

With every pat on her platinum blonde strands sent Luna into tears but she relished in the comfort.

"You don't understand…you don't know what he said to me," Luna tried, pushing away and wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"Neville told Harry what he wanted to tell you," Hermione tried, encouraging her to sit down.

"He told Harry that he loved me and that he may not get another chance to tell me?" Luna asked, eyes wide.

"Yes."

"Did he tell him that he had planned to kiss me and that he was going to push me into a closet so I would stay safe?" Luna questioned, her shaking frame deciding to take that offered seat.

"When were you in a closet?" Hermione asked, genuinely curious.

"I wasn't there long. I broke out just in time to watch Bellatrix kill him."

The tears began to fall like the rain outside. Her body went into shaking fits and her screams of sadness pierced through the silence of the house. The only comfort was Hermione as they sat there on the floor that she had slid onto.

"I don't know how to stop crying. I just want to stop."

"You will, Luna. You will be able to get through it. That's what your friends are here for and we are all here for you."

Hermione did all that she could but Luna didn't see an end to this madness. She only felt the terror of not being able to get through it in time. She would try.

Merlin knows that she would try.


End file.
